August 11, 2026

Best Non-fiction Reads of 2012

Last year was a great year for good books. I tend to prefer history over other topics, but this year’s non-fiction picks included sociology, economics, and literature…but all, still, with a link to history.

In no particular order, then, my favorite non-fiction reads of 2012 are…

Book Review: “1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created” by Charles C. Mann

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” But what happened next?

More than just the discovery of the new world that we call the Americas, Christopher Columbus set off globalization of ecology, trade, biology, and nationality beyond anything that preceded it, argues Charles Mann in “1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created.” The discovery of America did more than just uncover lands previously unseen or mapped by Europeans. It set adrift the then current order of the entire world. [cont…]